Untouchable
by fanficstho
Summary: Dave has a secret crush on his best bro, none other than John Egbert, and it's basically ruining his life. Rated T for swearing and mild sexual scenes/terms.
1. Prologue

Dave Strider, well, everything about him was ironic. Just the way he liked it. As least expected, he managed to get good grades in school. As least expected, he actually was still a virgin. As least expected, he never really even dated anyone in the first place. There were countless ironic aspects about him, most of which his best friend, John Egbert knew.

However, the most ironic of them all was known by no one but Strider himself. While he always joked around about getting all the ladies, he deep down never really was interested in them. While he knew that even guys checked him out on occasion, he never took interest in them either. Dave Strider's first and only crush was John fucking Egbert. It wasn't even Dave _trying _to be ironic here, he was literally attracted only to the one person he couldn't have - his best friend since kindergarten and secret crush since age thirteen, who made a very obvious point to state that he was "not a homosexual!" whenever the situation arised.

But he won't say that too much in this fanfiction since that's pretty overused.

Woah, did this story just cross the fourth wall for a second? Okay, no, that sentence and this paragraph never happened. Carry on now.

Anyways, to sum it all up, Dave was in a pretty tight fix. Something about John was utterly intriguing. He couldn't be sure if it was his brilliant bright blue eyes, or his derpy, buck-toothed smile, or his ridiculously optimistic attitude. In fact, it was most likely all three and more. This crush had been blooming for four years now, and it could no longer be accurately considered a "crush." It was more of Dave being in love with John, as much as he didn't want to admit it to himself. No one suspected, not even Rose Lalonde, his over-analyzing psychobabbling sister who lived in a different house since their parents divorced.

Perhaps Dave's family and the sort should be explained. His mother divorced his father, and she took Rose while leaving Dave and his older brother Dirk (who he usually called 'Bro') with his dad. She thought of him as a disgrace, and the same with Dirk and Mr. Strider. So she kicked Dave, Dirk, and their dad out of her eerie mansion and the three were forced to move into a shitty apartment on the bad side of town. Dave's brother, Dirk, had moved out to stay with his boyfriend, Jake, at some slightly less shitty hotel. But when Dave's dad died of lung cancer from smoking, Dirk and Jake were forced to leave the hotel and take care of Dave in the apartment. Well, if Dirk mostly neglecting him and tossing food at him and telling him to "eat it you little shit" was considered 'taking care' of him. Jake really was the nice one, assisting Dave with his homework on occasion and the sort. As for Rose, Dave considered her his sister still despite her not being so legally.

So, yeah, that was the story of Dave's suckish family. But somehow Dave still managed to maintain his "cool" persona. Things just became more difficult with his feelings for John involved.

Back to the point, though, I guess you probably just want the story to start, right? Well yeah. I'm getting to that. But not yet motherfuckers! HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Oops. Fourth wall again. Disregard that.


	2. Chapter 1

All throughout gym class, Dave sat with his earbuds planted in each ear, as usual keeping his solid expressionless look despite feeling urged to hum or sing along to his music. Next to him, John lay in the grass and watched the clouds, probably daydreaming about some silly thing. That was the sort of thing he did, mostly.

On the other side of Dave, his sister Rose sat simply watching all the other kids run around as they attempted to win a chaotic game of outdoor dodgeball. Gym wasn't a required class, so you had the option of just sitting out. Dave and John would occasionally participate, but usually they just sat around.

As for Jade, John's cousin, she stood in the middle of the game, weakly tossing dodgeballs and squealing when some headed for her in return. John made a big deal to cheer for her when she got someone out, which was pretty rare, so after awhile he'd pretty much given up.

Occasionally, (actually very often), girls in the class would make a pretty big deal to impress Dave, but failed horribly. For one, they usually got showered with dodgeballs the minute they stepped forward. And to add onto that, Dave simply wasn't easily impressed. In fact, he barely paid attention to the game. He was far too busy thinking of more important matters - er, well, actually, using music to block out matters he would need to confront eventually. Like how he was finally coming to terms with the fact that John Egbert would never feel anything in return for him but friendship. Which was fine with Dave, or so he told himself daily. He figured that if he repeated it enough to himself mentally then it would finally register with his brain and become reality. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

Despite this difficult situation, he did a pretty good job at blocking out these thoughts for his friend. Music helped best, so he was often found with earbuds stuffed in his ears or headphones gripping his head. It was kind of cliche, but it worked as a good escape.

After witnessing Jade getting mauled by dodgeballs, Rose chuckled and stood up. "I suppose I should go and assist her." Dave rolled his eyes at his sister's odd way of speaking but just nodded and watched her try and help Jade. He got bored of that, however, and went back to zoning out in his music.

"Dave," John's voice interupted his music. "Dave, Dave, hey Dave." An index finger was jabbing Dave's cheek repeatedly.

"What do you want? Can't a cool dude listen to some music?" Dave joked, but popped out the earbuds. John perked up and smiled. _God, that smile was so cute._

_Wait, no, Dave, no, no, no it's just a smile. He's just your friend. He's your bro._

"Well first off, I was trying to tell you that the class is over and everyone's gone! Also, your face is red."

Dave reached a finger up to his cheeks and felt the heat, causing him to blush even more. Those thoughts really shouldn't be running through his head! Then he looked around and saw that John was right about everyone leaving.

"Oh, I guess we'll just have to be fashionably late to class, then," he mused, dismissing John's mention of his red face and letting a small grin slip. He didn't show much emotion in front of people other than John, Rose, and Jade. Mostly John, though, as much as he told himself that was not the case.

They walked into class right as the bell rang, but it didn't make much of a difference considering this was study hall and the teacher didn't care what time the students arrived.

Dave plopped down in the seat in front of Rose, and he felt her skeptical eyes boring into the back of his head as John sat down next to him. Letting out a frustrated sigh, he swerved around in his seat to face her. His suspicions were confirmed as he saw how she sat there: arms crossed, one eyebrow raised.

"The fuck are you staring at me like that for, Lalonde?" He spat, well, as much as one can "spit" while whispering.

"Oh, it's nothing. But your face was rather flushed when you entered with John, late, if I may add." She smirked. Shit, Dave had done so well at hiding his thing for John this far, and now a silly red face spoiled it.

"We only got here right when the bell rang. That isn't that late. Besides, maybe my face was red because we fucking rushed to get here in time?" Good cover, Strider.

Rose stared at him with her eyebrows raised for a good ten seconds, Dave countering with his usual straight face. Finally, Rose's amused expression vanished and she gave in. "Oh, okay."

Dave allowed himself to grin slightly, triumphantly. He wondered why she even cared anyways. Girls were so weird, always wondering about your love life and shit. Rotating back around in his seat, he saw that John had been reading some weird ghost book. What a doofus. Dave rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses, crossing his arms and leaning back in his seat. He propped his legs up on the desk, satisfied that the teacher neither noticed nor cared.

"Hey, Dave?" John had closed his book and was leaning closer to Dave, trying to catch his attention.

"Ugh, John, this is your second time interrupting my peace. Please, tell me what ever do you need." The way he answered wasn't really in the form of a question, but John answered anyway.

"Well...I haven't been doing that well in Science, and I was wondering if you could help me out with it after school!"

This time, instead of Rose, Dave was the one raising an eyebrow. "You mean tutor you."

"Yes. Er, if that's not okay, though, then yeah that's fine I can get Jade or Rose to instead..."

"Nah, sure I'll do it dude. Come to my place later on and I'll help you or some shit. But I warn you about the stairs up to the apartment. Remember, I told you dog."

Now it was John who rolled his eyes. He threw a gentle, playful punch at Dave's arm. "Pft, of course you have to reference your own comic!"

"How can I not; it's fucking genius bro." He withheld a smile as he balanced his voice at monotone.

Suppressing a giggle, John instead just beamed playfully and returned to his book.

Behind Dave, Rose grinned maliciously. She loved dealing with psychological things, and what was blooming between the two boys in front of her was that indeed.

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, I only was going with the 4th wall breaking for the prologue. So yeah..I know it's kind of boring so far but it'll get more eventful every chapter!


	3. Chapter 2

By the end of the day, Dave was finding it hard not to smile. He stood on the curb of the parking lot, waiting for John to get his ass over there. _And a fine ass it was._

_Wait, no, you did not just think that._

The seventeen-year-old gazed over at his car, a sleek black Jeep that he had spent ages saving money and taking up odd jobs around the town for. It had deluxe speakers, just perfect for blasting his favorite songs and criticizing his own with. Running a hand through his hair, he heard footsteps and wheeled around to face John, who was panting from straining himself to run all the way over to Dave.

"Sorry, I just had to stay a little after class to finish a test," he explained, smiling apologetically.

Dave nodded in reply and started walking to his car, John's face crinkling in confusion then he sprinted after, realizing that he would be driving him.

"Wait, do you have a car here or did you take the bus?" Dave nonchalantly asked, hands in his pockets.

"Don't worry, I always take the bus! We can't afford a car for me yet."

Once again nodding but sympathetically this time, the platinum blonde boy held the shotgun door open for John, who awkwardly climbed in.

When Dave sat down, he shut the door, flicked the dice dangling from his rear-view mirror (which had been hung there ironically), and revved up the vehicle. "Mind if I play some music?"

John bobbed his head, slightly uncomfortable. "Yeah, sure, and wow, this car is so amazing, how could you even _afford_ this?"

"Lots of saving up, man," Dave murmured, letting his songs float throughout the vehicle.

When they arrived at his apartment, he fumbled with his key in the lock on the apartment door only to have it opened by Dirk.

"Having some trouble with the lock there?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow. His gaze (presumably, considering he was wearing pointed shades himself) fell on John, and a smirk tugged at his mouth. "I see you brought your boyfriend."

John blushed madly, glancing to Dave and opening his mouth to argue, but was cut off by the younger Strider.

"Fuck off, Bro, and thanks for giving me the wrong key," he tossed it at his brother and shoved the door aside, slipping past Dirk with John in pursuit, who was still flushed of embarrassment.

The two quickly rushed up to Dave's room, and Dave locked the door behind them to keep Bro from intruding.

They began 'tutoring', with Dave occasionally bumping shoulders with John as he showed him the basic concepts in the Science lesson they were working on. This caused John to blush even more, which Dave thought was pretty adorable. (And of course it was.)

After they finished, he decided to go out on a limb. "Hey John, you wanna sleep over maybe? If not, that's fine man. I was just wondering because you might need more help with the Science later on." _Shit_, he was rambling. _This was not something cool guys did. Rambling isn't a Strider thing to do, so stop it, Dave._

"Um, well sure, just let me call to check with my dad."

So, that was that, and John's dad said yes. Except that he was busy baking a cake for his job, as he was a baker, and so he couldn't drive John's stuff over.

"It's okay, you can just sleep in my bed and I'll sleep on the couch. But, uh, I hope you have something to wear as pajamas because I don't have anything except boxers." John held back another blush that was raging to show and smiled.

"Thanks, Dave!" He hesitated. "But I don't want to make you sleep on the couch..."

As cliche as it was, this situation they were in at the moment was a thing that was happening. And so Dave sighed and cut to the chase. "Either I sleep on the couch or I sleep next to you in my bed," he said, being really careful with his choice of words.

"U-uh...well I guess you should do anything but sleep on the couch, so, yeah," John stuttered, wondering why the situation was so much more awkward then it should have been. Perhaps it was their age. Scratching at the back of his neck, he realized what time it was. "Woah, uh, I guess we should be getting to bed anyways."

Dave glanced at the clock. "Yeah." He started to strip down, then turned to face a really red, eye-avoiding John. "Dude, if you want, you can go change in the bathroom."

"Uh, hehe, of course! I think I'll do that." He hurried out of the room and into the bathroom to change.

Rolling his eyes, Dave undressed until he was in his boxers. John entered the room in his as well, but every obviously holding his clothes against his chest as what could only be called a 'modesty shield.' Chuckling, Dave pulled open one of his dresser drawers and tossed a shirt of his at the other boy. "Just wear this if you're so self-conscious."

John quickly pulled the shirt on, smiling derpily. Dave got a peculiar feeling from seeing the other in his shirt. Brushing it off, he suppressed a dawning blush. "Welp, I'm going to go use the restroom real quick. You can get yourself, uh, situated over there." He motioned toward the bed and hurriedly walked to the bathroom, trying to hide his franticness.

Feeling oddly out of place, John climbed into bed, staring at the ceiling. He felt very odd for once, wondering why all of a sudden things were so...tense between him and Dave. It was almost like he was in a story being written by some girl obsessed with his love - er, friend life. But that definitely was a stupid idea, and he shrugged it off immediately.

Dave re-entered the room, slowly situating himself next to his lifetime crush, struggling to keep himself controlled. He removed his shades, setting them on the bedside table. He held out a hand for John to pass him his glasses. When he did, his hands lightly brushed against Dave, causing him to blush for the umpteenth time that day. Dave only smirked to himself, setting them next to his shades on the table and soon both fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

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**Author's Note:** Thank you for the kind reviews, favorites and follows! I'm trying to update as quickly as possible, but it can get difficult with schoolwork. Hopefully this story is turning out to your liking so far! ^_^


	4. Chapter 3

It was a Friday. Dave awoke to an unfamiliar warm sensation against his side and chest. Peeling his eyes open, he saw that a sleeping John had wrapped himself around his body, causing heat to swiftly rise to his cheeks. However, he didn't want to awaken the peacefully sleeping boy, so he exhaled gently, watching his breath ever so lightly rustle through his midnight locks, taking in the way the light sneaking in from the window crept along every inch of his hair. It took all he had not to stroke John's hair affectionately, and he stiffened as the slightly shorter boy tightened his grip on his torso. Feeling out of place for not reacting, he gradually allowed himself to wrap a trembling arm around his friend.

Deep down, he felt a little bit creepy about watching his best bro nap, but he couldn't help it - he looked so god damn gorgeous when he slept. He looked so peaceful.

The rather abashed boy jolted lightly when the other boy's dark eyelashes fluttered open, his eyes immediately on Dave who knew he had to provide an explanation for this 'homo' moment.

"A-ah, Dave," he started, stuttering but not yet detaching himself, "What are you doing exactly?"

The blonde's eyes flitted to the side, avoiding John's flustered gaze. "Well, you decided to get all cuddly during nappy time, sweetcheeks," he choked out, barely managing to keep an even tone as he pretended to be preoccupied by the room around him.

Upon hearing his friend's sarcastic remark, the raven-haired boy untangled himself from Dave, controlling his oncoming blush which he knew would already set a new record for the amount of times John Egbert has blushed in a week. "Sorry, I guess I just usually do that with a pillow by instinct and you were kind of like a pillow or..." Dammit, what was he saying?

"That's fine Egderp, we all have a totally gay subconscious sometimes." Dave smirked one-sidedly, finally returning his eyes to John's. He then realized he didn't have his sunglasses on, making this the second or third time Egbert had seen his scarlet, fiery irises. But his gaze was locked with that of the ocean-blue-eyed boy, who blinked twice as he took in Dave's paralyzing stare.

"Wow..." John found himself at a loss for words, completely disregarding his friend's normally embarrassing remark. It was the first time he'd realized how truly and utterly enchanting Dave Strider's eyes were, paired with pale blonde eyelashes that flickered along with his blazing red eyes when he blinked. They were like thin, delicate candle wicks that lit up the flame dancing, buried deep in his eyes.

"The fuck are you staring at, Egbert, you've seen my eyes before." Dave felt a blush creeping up and reaching along his freckles, and once again began dodging and evading his friend's cryptic stare.

"S-sorry," John apologized again, glancing back down at his own chest. He was only further humiliated to observe he was wearing Dave's slightly oversized shirt, which felt intimately close all of a sudden. His eyes further wandered to sharpen his memory that Dave was entirely shirtless, and both were clad in only boxers as pants.

Dave rolled off the bed, escaping the awkwardness of being so close. "Like I said, it's all fine." He scooped up his own shades and put them on, gently tossing John's glasses to the boy, who clumsily caught them and adjusted them onto the bridge of his nose.

Smiling derpily, he quickly stood up as well and started removing his shirt. "Uh, Dave, is it okay if I maybe use your shower? I forgot to tell you that my dad wanted me to last night but I f-forgot.."

"Well, sure, but you better hurry or else we'll be late for school."

School! John had forgotten about that. At least it was the last day of the school week, and soon they would have a 3-day break due to Memorial Day being on Monday.

He hurriedly rushed to the bathroom, starting up a warm shower and getting in right away despite the still-cold water so as to not raise Dave's bill too high. He swiftly used the foreign soap and shampoo, quickly turning off the shower and stepping out. Wrapping a towel around him, he exited the room, his hair damp and messy but putting forth effort to not lag behind too long.

As the cold air of outside the foggy bathroom hit him, he heard Bro's and Dave's voices downstairs.

"Dave, you really should try some yoga. My John-Dave sexual tension senses are tingling." Bro's voice floated up to John's ears, causing him to unknowingly blush, thus breaking his record. Hoorah!

"Shut the fuck up, Bro, it isn't like that," Dave replied, and John heard the faint sound of what he figured to be Dave lightly punching his older brother in the arm.

"Wow, I am in so much pain right now, ow."

John suddenly heard Dave retreating up the stairs, and looked down to realize he himself was still in just a towel. Hurriedly rushing into Dave's room, he glanced around for something to wear. Errr...

"I guess you don't want to wear your old clothes from yesterday, huh?" Dave's voice pierced his frantic searching.

Putting forth effort so as not to drop the towel protecting his dignity, John swerved to face his already dressed and ready friend. "Er, yeah, um..." He froze at the thought of himself walking into school wearing's Dave's clothing. What would that seem like?

Dave shrugged. "You can borrow something of mine that I don't really wear." He reached into the closet and pulled out a simple red hoodie, with a slightly brighter gear-like shape on the center. John figured that would do.

"That's perfect!" John beamed, accepting the piece of clothing from Dave. "Um, I guess I can take a chance and just wear my pants from yesterday..." He changed into them after convincing the other boy to turn around and not look. After pulling on the hoodie, he grinned once more. "It's a little big, but it mostly fits! Thanks, Dave!"

Dave nodded, holding back the weird tingling sensation in his chest at the sight of, once again, John Egbert wearing _his _clothing. His!

Quickly shaking himself out of it, he tossed a granola bar at John to eat and picked up his bookbag which was resting on the floor next to his friend's. "We should probably catch the bus now," he reasoned, slinging it over his shoulder. John did the same and followed him down the stairs and out the door to the end of the driveway.

They boarded the bus together, sitting themselves in the seat right behind Rose and Jade, both of whose eyebrows shot up quicker than you could blink. Well, okay, maybe it seemed odd having two seventeen year old guys sleeping over at each other's houses, but hey - they were close like that and it wasn't anything more than platonic best-friendship. And both girls knew John was certainly not gay. _Obviously_.

Rose didn't hesitate to prop herself up on the back of the seat and look skeptically down at the two boys, who returned her look with irritated ones. Jade was quick to turn around as well, but clearly wasn't very aware of what Rose was implying. Not _exactly_, at least.

Dave rolled his eyes behind his shades and made an unfriendly gesture with his right hand, to the likes of which Rose snorted rather loudly.

"Well, well, well," she started, her eyes switching between the two. John innocently stared back up at her. He had dated her in his first year of high school, she should know that he was not interested in guys that way!

Dave, on the other hand, blatantly ignored his sister, exposing his iPod and plugging his ears with the earbuds. Rose let out a sigh and turned back around, knowing she would have to bother him about this at lunch, where he couldn't use his earbuds as a shield.

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**Author's Note:** Haha, wow, second time ending a chapter with Rose's nosy psychoanalysis mode! Sorry about that, but without intruding, suspicious girls it just isn't a proper fanfiction! Anyways, thanks for the support and feedback and I hope you liked this chapter. :)


	5. Chapter 4

The morning rushed by, and Rose grew more and more amused by the hour. She noticed the subtle looks Dave peeked at John, and the faint blushes etched on his face when the other boy noticed. She was right - something was going on here. Being a girl, it's usually female nature to be unhealthily interested in other people's relationships. So of course, she was. Besides, it helped her with her studies of psychoanalysis.

So when lunch came around, Rose was grinning devilishly and plopped herself down right in front of Dave. "Hello, Mr. Strider," she mocked, giving him a look that said '_I know everything that's been going on recently_.'

"Fuck off Lalonde," he retorted, his eyes (which were fortunately hidden by his shades) focused on John, who was in the line getting lunch. "Whatever you're implying with that look there, just fucking don't."

Rose smirked, leaning in and whispering to him. "I see you've got a thing for John." The mention of his name gave Dave butterflies and also a sick feeling because he knew that if he didn't fess up now, his devious sister would only continue pestering him about it even with John sitting at the table, which would be soon.

"What's it to you?" The blonde's ashen skin showed dim signs of an oncoming flush among his scattered freckles. "Since when did you care about shit like this?"

"Well, for one thing, I'm your sister and so I'm obligated to humiliate you. Second of all, and this is the main reason, I believe I can assist you with my psychoanalytic skills."

"So basically you just want to use me for some psychobabble experiment."

"To put it simply, yes."

"Ugh, fine, but if you so much as utter a word to him about this I swear I will-"

"Utter a word to who about what?" John's voice pierced his threat, causing Dave to glance up at him and Rose to raise an eyebrow at Dave before turning to face John as well.

"Nothin'," he replied, emphasizing his strong southern accent to persuade - and perhaps maybe impress, just a little - his crush. The boy simply shrugged and sat down with his tray next to Dave.

"Does the awesomely-cool Strider have a secret? Please tell me about this juicy gossip," John commented, rolling his eyes sarcastically and chuckling when he recieved a gentle punch in the shoulder from Dave.

"I told you, Egderp, it's nothin'."

"However, I would be more than willing to comply and tell you all about this dirty little secre-" Rose was cut off by Dave's sharp glare which could be felt through his shades. She sighed. "Alright, alright, I apologize but I'm afraid I'm sworn to secrecy."

John considered pushing it more but decided since Dave was his best friend he would tell him eventually...right? Maybe he didn't trust him... Shaking off his doubts, he gave his friend a dorky smile and started eating, disacknowledging the intense staredown going on between brother and sister beside him.

Soon enough Jade took a seat next to Rose, curiously staring at the twins who were currently in a deep and clearly harsh conversation via their minds, then returning to her usual business of eating and exchanging small talk with John. After a while, Rose finally allowed her brother his peace by going back to eating.

For no particular reason, John felt a strange flutter inside of him every time his arm brushed against Dave's. It felt nauseating but exhilarating at the same time. He wanted it to stop. What was going on with him lately?

His eyes fell on Rose. She looked lovely today, yes, he told himself, trying to force her brother out of his thoughts. As twins, they looked quite much alike, both with the same platinum blonde hair and brown eyes, except for the fact that Dave's were deeply tinted red. John was lucky - he was the only one who had seen his friend's rare eyes, aside from Rose, Dirk, and Ms. Lalonde. He somehow felt superior to all the girls and boys who crushed on Dave, because they only wished they could be in his position.

_Shit, no, focus back on Rose, John_. He was trying to make himself interested in her, to keep his mind from wandering off into dark corners, weird corners, where he felt odd thoughts that were borderline homosexual. He had nothing against gay people, nothing at all, but he felt it was too much of a burden to be so himself, what with teasing, and gaining acceptance from his family and friends. But no matter how hard he tried, Rose was simply a good friend to him. He didn't quite understand it. She looked very much like her brother, yet something about Dave made him more attractive. Perhaps it was his lean, slightly-muscular build, or his intense red eyes. He figured it was both and more.

_Nope, I am not thinking these thoughts, nope_. John knew he was in denial, and he knew he had it bad. But it was a known fact that when you start getting more-than-friendship feelings for your best friend, things are doomed to be spiralling downwards from then on. He would simply not admit to himself or anybody these thoughts. Instead, he lied to himself and told himself he thought that girl was pretty and that girl was pretty and wow, she's really nice, he should totally date her sometime. But it really was no use.

Trying to run from his thoughts, he instead shoved mashed potatoes into his mouth. Rose observed how quickly he was eating and how he did it anxiously, but she decided not to say anything. Whatever was the problem, it would reveal itself.

Meanwhile, Dave was shaking in his seat. It wasn't enough to be noticeable, but it was enough to get him all the more nervous. What the fuck would he do, he couldn't take this much longer. The more time he spent around John, the more he longed for those lips and eyes and hair and personality and everything to be his, and his forever. It was corny, and it was uncool, but he had realized that denying it wouldn't get him anywhere.

Lucky for everyone, the rest of the day zoomed by speedily, and it wasn't long before John and Dave were headed off to the school's pool for swim team. It was the only sport they ever bothered to do because they didn't want to get sweaty and what better for cooling off than swimming itself? Besides, Dave might just have liked to ogle John shirtless, muscles flexed, water reflecting off of him at every angle. But no, nope that wasn't the case, Dave would never be that creepy. Okay yes, he would, and he might get a little turned on at the sight too, but hey, it was pretty fucking hot. God, if anyone knew he was thinking these things he'd just die. Especially if John knew.

While they walked to the locker room, he steadied his thoughts. He would keep himself under control, he would keep his eyes to himself, he would show no signs of anything being out of the ordinary. Yep, that's exactly what he'd do.

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**Author's Note:** omg okay sorry for taking such a long time to update! I love your reviews they're sooo sweet thank you 33 I made Rose and Dave twins because how else would they be in the same grade if they were siblingsss. But don't worry Dave still has his eyes! And hehehe Dave you pervert watching John like that. Anyways I hope you liked this chapter and a new one will be up soon!


	6. Chapter 5

It wasn't long before they were in the locker room. As usual, Dave noticed and yet ignored the other boys, whose eyes were on his body as he changed. His eyes fortunately obscured by his shades, he secretly was only watching John.

His feelings for John were not solely sexual, no; even he wasn't that much of a tool. He loved John for his personality, the way he was always so kind and happy and giggly, enough to put a smile on Dave's face - which was hard for anyone (with the exception of John of course) to do. John's good looks and healthy build were only a bonus to these things. And a bonus that would not go unnoticed nor unadmired. Dave definitely may have been guilty of some wet dreams about this boy. But nope, no one had to know about that.

After John was in his swim gear, he turned around quickly, feeling as if someone was watching him. But no, all eyes were on Dave, and he mentally scolded himself at the thought of thinking he (John) was anything to be staring at in the first place. However, the eyes on his best bro made him feel sort of...weird inside. Defensive. He knew he would definitely work to outswim these guys in the practice race.

He couldn't blame them, though, as he himself was suddenly unable to take his eyes off Dave. His friend noticed this and smirked to himself, strolling over to him nonchalantly. "I see you're enjoying the view."

John was blushing beyond belief, so he laughed uncomfortably, trying to cover it up. "Haha, what view? I wasn't enjoying any view. I just...zoned out for a minute. You know how I do that sometimes."

"Right," Dave answered, still smirking but deep down figuring that probably was the case - John always had his head in the clouds, so he zoned out all the time and it could sometimes be very annoying. "Well, let's get to the pool then."

The blue-eyed boy nodded sheepishly, turning around and hurrying the hell out of there, feeling the other guys' eyes on him for sure this time - but they were glaring and full of jealousy. He felt somewhat intimidated, but proud that Dave Strider was _his_. Well, his friend. And that's definitely the only reason he was so protective of him. Because he was his friend. Yep.

When the practice race began, John dove into the water with ease, propelling himself forward, eager to make his way far past the other boys whose eyes did them no good. And for the third time that day, he felt eyes on him, but they weren't the hateful glares of the others - no, they were the deliciously red eyes of a certain Strider. _Wait, shit, did I just call Dave's eyes delicious? _The thought drove him off track, causing him to fall behind a bit. This allowed one of the guys past him. Gasping for air above the water, he felt himself growl, which was very unusual, and sped up, faster than he'd ever swam before. Shooting forward, he made it to the other side, spinning around and raising his fists in triumph, all the while choking a bit to get some oxygen in his lungs. He saw Dave applauding him, giving him a double thumbs up when he saw John's eyes on him.

Dave preferred not to go in the water, because he would have to take off his shades. He only joined swim team to sit on the bench basically, and occasionally would jump in, making sure to keep his eyes hidden behind fogged up, tinted goggles the entire time.

What John Egbert didn't know was that Dave had heard his little growl, since he was the only one without water splashing in his ears, and it had caused him to grin wildly. Was John being so competitive because of what he observed in the locker room? He hoped so.

And damn, that boy was fine. Dave watched hungrily as he zoomed through the water, which was shining in just the right places on him so that all of his muscles were clearly outlined. The blonde bit his lip to keep his body from reacting in, er, any way. And when John turned and gave him his winning smile, he felt his heart beat a little bit faster. He shakily returned with a friendly applause and thumbs up.

Afterwards, the coach allowed John a break before hustling over to Dave and telling him to get in the race. Reluctantly agreeing, he switched into his dark goggles without letting anyone catch a glimpse of his eyes before climbing into the pool.

As the race started, Dave glided smoothly through the water, taking his precious time. He knew he would win anyways, what with the other guys staying behind to catch a glimpse of any part of him they could. It sort of creeped him out, but then again he did the same to John...but it was different. He actually knew John and he was his friend so, he would have had to of watched him anyways.

At the end of the race, as he turned around with no expression awaiting John's reaction, he felt a hand touching him somewhere it shouldn't be. Shooting a disapproving frown at the guy who did it, he failed to notice John's sudden tension in his muscles. That guy touched Dave...he would make him pay.

When they were done with swim practice and changing in the locker room, John held a glare on Mr. Handsy as he changed. The other boy raised his hands up in defense, but still grinned devillishly, knowing he had still gotten away with it. _Oh, no you don't_.

While the guy walked past him, obviously making his way over to probably flirt with Dave, John stuck out his foot and tripped him, then quickly pulled it back, pretending he didn't do anything. The guy stumbled and stood up with a bloody nose, looking at John with a hate-filled look in his eyes before storming off. John hoped the pervert's nose was broken.

Dave snickered to himself, having seen what happened. Was John jealous? Or was he just sticking up for his violated friend? These questions danced in Dave's head as he changed, walked home, and even as he lay in bed staring up at the ceiling.

On Monday, as soon as he got to school John was still rambling about that stupid guy and how he hoped Dave didn't feel uncomfortable and about how people should really keep their hands to themselves. In reply, Strider simply grinned and thanked him for doing what he did, earning a bashful "you're welcome" from John. _How could one boy be so adorable?_

He really really wanted to kiss him right then and there. Yet he knew he couldn't and knowing that already made his day take a downward turn. But at least he was still hanging out with him, right? And his day got ten times better when John asked if he could sleep over on Friday, to which (of course) Dave said yes.

The rest of the week moved quickly, much to both boys' liking. As Friday came around, Dave was incredibly eager for school to end, to which Rose of course raised an eyebrow, but he simply brushed her off. Things finally seemed to be working out his way. And when swim practice began, the jerk's nose was indeed broken and its bandages couldn't get wet so he had to sit on the bench, so Dave quickly volunteered to take his place, to which the coach complied.

He and John had a friendly competition, in the end purposely tying together, earning groans from the other teammates that they should 'play fair or else they won't win the real competition.' The two just laughed and high-fived.

When they reached John's house, they immediately went upstairs so Dave could put his sleeping bag away. "Where's your dad?" he asked after setting it at the foot of John's bed.

"Oh, he's out on a business trip. I think he has to be the chef at some fancy party thing. It's a really good pay!" John smiled, obviously missing his father already.

"Man, you know I can tell when you miss your dad, right?"

"Haha, er, no, it's okay! I mean, yeah, I miss him a lot, but I'm glad you're here or else I'd be all alone!" John giggled, but it came out high-pitched and nervous. He was realizing that he still was alone, but alone with Dave.

"If you say so, Egderp," Dave clapped him on the back, then went to sit down on the bed. "It okay if I take a shower here? You owe me, you know, from when you did at my place."

"Oh, well, sure! Go ahead!"

Dave nodded and started pulling off his shirt, watching John behind his shades.

"Hey, uh, maybe you should undress in the bathroom, haha," John suggested, obviously flustered a the sight of Dave practically stripping in front of him.

So Dave made his way into the bathroom and started up the shower. Meanwhile, John flopped down on his bed, listening to the sound of him showering in his ears. Along with hearing it came mental images. He shuddered and clenched his eyes shut, wondering why all of a sudden he was thinking such weird thoughts about his best friend. What had gotten into him?

After the shower, Dave made his way into John's room, wearing only a towel on his waist, causing John's eyes to widen.

"Dude, don't get your panties in a twist, I'm just getting my clothes." He unzipped his sleeping bag and, rolling his eyes at John, struggled to get his clothes out. "A little help?"

"Er, oh, uh, sure," he nervously squeaked, inching over to his friend only to pull out some boxers, blushing wildly. He quickly tossed them to Dave, then made a weird squealing sound when he realized he was about to change right there.

"Is something the matter?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, well, just that maybe you should change i-in another room..."

Dave hesitated, pretending to be in deep thought while putting a finger to his chin. "No thanks." He dropped the towel and changed into the boxers, recieving a shocked gasp from John who quickly glanced away.

Chuckling, Dave crawled over to his bag and pulled out the rest of his clothes. "Gosh, Egbert, you're acting weird today. I know you're swooning over my hot body but calm your tits."

John laughed and shoved him gently. "No, stupid, it's just not exactly a normal thing for someone to be butt naked in front of me, gosh."

Dave chuckled with him. "Okay, okay," he interrupted. "But seriously let me just get these clothes on."

After he did, the two were playing a video game when both of their cell phones rang at the same time. Going to check, they saw that Vriska had sent them both '_Party at my pl8ce tomorrow at 8pm, 8e there! ::::)_'

They spent a good few (eight) minutes laughing at the scheduled time and such, before returning to the video game. Deep down, Dave wanted to know if John was going. So he tried to casually ask like a friend would.

"So, Eggs," Dave started, earning raised eyebrows from 'Eggs' for his odd nickname. "you going to that party? Isn't Vriska like, your girlfriend or something?"

John froze. "No, no, no, it isn't like that, she just flirts with me all the time. It's annoying, actually. But um, I might go...are you?" He secretly would only go if Dave did.

"Well, sure, I guess, got nothin' else to do," he answered, hoping John would say he'd go too.

"Okay, cool!" John hadn't clarified if he was going though. Dave worried that maybe he should've urged him, but decided he would just beg the gods or whatever that he would show up.

Resuming the game, the two laughed and joked with eachother until it was time for bed. They crawled in, John curling up next to Dave, who didn't show any signs of resistance. He figured it was one of John's 'brosnuggles' or whatever. He knew he was an overly-affectionate person, so he hugged people a lot and the sort. _Figures he just had to secretly love the guy who gave platonic hugs_.

Despite his bitterness at his friend's overly-stressed heterosexuality, Dave still found comfort in that John was cuddled up next to him in a bed right now, about to go to sleep. And so he fell asleep with these happy thoughts.

The next day, after Dave got home, (**Author's Note**: instead of typing home i originally by reflex typed homo wow) he spent most of the day lying around, waiting for 8 PM to come around. At around seven o'clock, he quickly changed into clean clothes and spritzed on a tiny bit of cologne, for John of course. _If he asks I'll just say it's for irony's sake_.

After that, he rushed out the door, eager and praying that John would show up.

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**Author's Note: **wow okay i tried to make this chapter extra long for you! thanks again for the sweet reviews, i keep getting so many and im just so grateful that you all like this fic! anyways i will make better effort to update sooner and i'll make sure the updates are nice and long!


	7. Chapter 6

**Warning: Mild suggestive/sexual content especially in this chapter.**

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When Dave entered the party, he could tell it was going to be one of those wild teenager parties, and so far John was nowhere to be found. Locking his poker face, he strolled through casually, earning 'hi's and stares from other partygoers. Rolling his eyes, he plopped down on the couch, placing his feet up on the coffee table. This earned a look of disapproval from Vriska's older brother, Equius, but he kept his feet up there anyways. As time passed, he still hadn't yet caught sight of John. Maybe he wasn't coming after all...

As if on cue with his thoughts, he heard Vriska's shrill shrieking. "John! Hiiiii!" What a fucking flirt.

Rolling his eyes, Dave stayed relaxed on the sofa, hoping that John would find him sitting there. He heard the sound of John's voice replying to Vriska, and although he couldn't make out his exact words, just hearing his voice sent shivers down his spine. _How can one human being be so fucking perfect_?

He closed his eyes and fell into deep thought. He can't fuck things up this time. He would tell John, once and for all. Okay, so maybe not tonight, but he would tell him soon! Time was running out what with Serket and Vantas always making googly eyes at Egbert.

His thoughts were interrupted by the feeling of a sinking in the couch next to him. Peeling one eye open, he saw John sitting there, smiling at him derpily. God, he was so cute. But Dave kept his neutral expression and uttered a small 'hey' at him.

"Dave, hey! I was worried you didn't show up or something! Haha, I sent you some texts but I don't think you got them. Sorry!" Shit, he should've thought to check his phone.

"That's chill man, my fault for having my phone turned off," Dave deadpanned in reply.

"So this is some party, huh?" John cut in after an awkward silence.

"Wow Egderp, way to pull one of the most cliche lines of all fucking history."

"Hehe, well, it still is!" And he was right. Couples were grinding and making out in corners, which Dave found pretty obnoxious. The only bright side was that he was here with John.

After a long time composed of awkward silences and small talk, Vriska announced rather loudly that punch and root beer were being served. Shrugging, Dave stood up with John in tow to get something to drink. They stood there drinking it for awhile, both surprised at how quality tasting the drinks were. Soon they had downed far too much for their own good.

"Hey, Dave?" John slurred drunkenly. "I get the idea they uh, spiked out these drinks."

Dave nodded slowly. "Ye-e-eah," he agreed, drawling it out. They both stumbled over to the couch, not shocked at how everyone else was obviously drunk too, couples getting frisky. Despite his drunken state, Dave figured they should probably get out of there. People were playing spin the bottle and 7 minutes in heaven and he could tell they would be targeted soon. Grabbing John's hand, he dragged him out of the house, glad that he had walked there originally. He still was sober enough to tell which way it was to get home.

As he and John struggled to get to Dave's apartment without passing out right there or doing something stupid, John started acting a bit...different towards Dave. He was latching onto him, whispering in his ear. However, his whispers were indistinct, so he couldn't really tell what he was saying. Although it was pretty obvious they were most likely dirty things.

Finally, they reached it, practically tumbling through the door before Dave twirled around and locked it so that no one could break in or anything this late. The house was quiet and empty, as Bro was out spending a night with Jake. Dropping themselves on the couch, the two boys were laughing at nothing in particular.

Still quite drunk, Dave slipped off of the couch almost immediately, lying on the floor staring up. John chuckled and rolled off, saying something about 'picking a brother up' but instead landed on top of him.

Before Dave could even begin to process what was happening, John's lips were crushed against his and it was the most beautiful feeling in the world. He quickly responded, returning the kiss fiercely and dry humping the other boy, who did so back. He was too tipsy to consider the unfortunate fact that their first kiss was while drunk.

He felt a hot tongue in his mouth, and he wondered how John had gotten to be so good at this. Sending his forward, their tongues danced against eachother. Invading John's mouth, he traced it across the boy's buck teeth, and explored the rest like it was a cavern.

Grinding and humping against each other, John let out a moan, and it definitely turned Dave on a lot more than it should have. He wanted to advance, but his drunken stupor restricted him from being able to respond with anything more than a moan himself. Dave felt a sudden pain but also a pleasurable tingling sensation and he realized that John was biting into his near-shoulder lightly. His moans grew louder as John licked it and sucked on it, easing the pain.

And just as quick as it had started, they were slowing down and soon enough John was passed out against Dave's chest, breathing heavily. Disappointed but still satisfied, Dave ran his fingers through the other boy's hair, treasuring every bit of the moment he could. He quickly fell asleep as well, drunk, aroused, and tired.

They slept like that for the rest of the night, and by the time morning came around, Dave was awake first with a sleeping John on his chest. Slowly recollections of that night came back to him, along with a pounding hangover. It wasn't as bad as it could be, considering John had had way more 'punch' than him. Gently pushing him off of him, he stood up, wondering if the other boy would remember anything. Lifting him up in his arms, he carried him up the stairs. For a moment, John seemed to stir, murmuring something to Dave, but then he quickly was back asleep again. He placed him in the bed, planting a light kiss on his forehead.

He suddenly felt the pain in between his neck and shoulder, glancing in the mirror to see the bruise from John's hickey. "Shit..." He grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and placed it on it, hoping to ease the throbbing. He realized he should probably change his shirt to one that covered his shoulders a bit more. Grabbing an old t-shirt, he quickly changed into it, hurrying so that in case John woke up and didn't remember anything he would be on the safe side.

As if in answer to his thoughts, he heard shuffling in the bed behind him. Spinning around, he was faced with a sleepy John who was clutching his head, obviously bearing an incredibly painful hangover. Scooping up the ice pack he had used on the bite mark off the dresser, he moved towards John, placing it on his forehead.

"Wh-what happened last night?" John innocently questioned, missing the double meaning that could be derived from it. "Did we get drunk or something?!" He looked genuinely frightened.

"Well, yeah, turns out someone spiked the drinks or some shit and, frankly, we drank a lot. Luckily we walked home and...fell asleep." He decided to leave out particular parts.

"Owwww," John groaned, holding the ice pack closer to his forehead. "I don't remember a thing..." _Thank goodness for that_, Dave thought. He wondered if last night's antics were out of real feelings for him or just because he was drunk. Probably the latter.

Tugging his collar up closer to his neck, conscious of the love bite, or, well, drunk bite, Dave froze at how entirely huggable John looked. He obviously wasn't feeling good, and his hair was tousled from both Dave's hands and rolling around in his sleep. Simply put, he looked fucking adorable.

Giving in to his urge, Dave wrapped an arm around his friend, earning a slight flinch but no other signs of resistance. Instead, John awkwardly laid his head on Dave's shoulder, and Dave winced in pain at the pressure on the bite. John sat back up.

"You okay, man?" He asked, glancing up at Dave worriedly. Dave gulped and nodded.

"Er, yeah, just a little sore there...From, you know, working the turntables."

John creased his eyebrows and, not believing his friend, pulled his shirt's neckline a bit to reveal the bruise. "D-did I do that?" His face went pale.

Dave stiffened, but then covered it up with a convincing chuckle. "No, of course not, Egbert, remember Vriska's dog, Black Widow?" He technically wasn't lying, Vriska did have a black shih tzu, and it had bitten Dave a number of times when she took it out on a walk and just so happened to walk by him as he relaxed on a bench listening to music.

The other blushed at his foolishness and nodded. "Of course, yeah, I was just joking there," he covered, laughing uncomfortably. It looked pretty human to him, but then again, Vriska's dog was a weird creature. Besides, who was he, an expert on bites? He obviously wasn't anyone to judge. But it _was_ high up on his body, too high up for a dog to reach. Then he recalled how Dave was slouching on the sofa, and figured the dog climbed on there and did it.

"Anyways, man, just lie back down. You had way more to drink than me, so it isn't as bad for me. You hungry?" Dave inquired.

"Haha, since when were you so helpful?" Darn it, John was smiling that cute dorky smile again.

"Since you got your ass drunk, Egderp."

"Hehe, okay. And no, I'm not too hungry, it's okay." To contradict his statement, his stomach growled rather loudly. Dave raised a blonde eyebrow, smirking and standing up.

"I'm gonna make you some soup."

John nodded, despite Dave being turned away so he couldn't see him, and returned to lying his head back down on the pillow. _Ugh, this hangover hurts so bad_... He swore when a wave of intense head-aching hit him like a ton of bricks.

Five minutes later, Dave returned with a bowl of soup, seating himself beside John on the bed. He decided not to force him to sit up again. "Open wide."

He obeyed, and Dave scooped the soup in, not changing his expression nor making a sound. Meanwhile, the other boy was blushing, but ignored his embarrassment as he swallowed the soup hungrily. Inside, Dave's stomach was going wild with butterflies. The boy looked so cute, his mouth closing around the spoon and slurping it up. Memories of last night, of John's lips pressed against his, flooded through Dave's mind all at once, catching him off guard. He accidentally spilled some soup on John's shirt.

"Oops!" John exclaimed, glancing up at Dave. "Hehe."

Dave smirked and rolled his eyes before leaning forward to pull John's shirt up and off. John blushed profusely, glancing at Dave curiously. "Wh-what are you doing?"

"Taking off your stained shirt, Sherlock," he muttered in reply, eyes fixated on John's shirtless chest. He quickly stood back up, going to grab another shirt of his. Luckily it was a Sunday, so no one would really see John wearing his shirt. "Lift up your arms."

John complied, his arms raising up in a way that was rather childish and thus adorable. Sliding the shirt down on him, Dave bit back a blush at seeing John, once again, in one of his shirts.

"Uh, is everything okay?" John asked, noticing Dave's sudden lip-biting and the sort.

"Oh, yeah, s'all cool."

"Alright...Um, I think I should be getting home though! Thank you for the soup and shirt and letting me stay and stuff.." After a few goodbyes, John ducked out the door, smiling all the way. Dave closed the door and slouched against it, wishing he could have stayed longer but still grateful for all that happened between them. He just wished their first kiss, first romantic embrace/moment, wasn't when they were drunk on spiked punch. Sighing, he went and watched TV, forgetting about the soup-stained t-shirt in his room.

Soon enough, Bro was home, nodding subtly at Dave and heading up the stairs to take a shower or something. Realizing the shirt was still up there, Dave scrambled to his feet and dashed up the stairs, hoping Dirk hadn't found it and jumped to any conclusions. To his disappointment, he skidded across the floor to find his brother grasping the shirt, eyebrows raised. He turned towards Dave, his facial expression implying exactly what didn't happen.

"I see you had Egbert in your bed, little bro," he smirked, walking over and ruffling Dave's hair before dropping the shirt on his shoulder.

"It wasn't like that, Bro!" Dave grunted, but his brother was already out the door and locked away in the bathroom, to take that shower of his. Groaning irritably, Dave placed the shirt in the washing machine and stomped downstairs, hitting the couch and immediately falling into a nap as he did so. He dreamed about soup and black dogs and hickeys. Tomorrow would be an interesting day.

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**Author's Note:** Augh! Two updates in one day! Hopefully you enjoyed them though. I hope you can tell that I'm trying to lengthen the chapters! Anyways, what's a story without some drunk teenage boys? Hehehe. Hope you liked it!


	8. Chapter 7

**Warning:** angst! ahhhhhh! and slight john x karkat but its only temporary.

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And just like that, Monday was rolling around and Dave was on his way to school, having made sure to wear a shirt that fully covered the hickey. Well, at least for the most part, considering it was borderline on his neck, above his collarbone. Oh well.

When lunch came around, Dave was proud to know that no one had spotted the bruise. At least until then. Sitting down, his shirt revealed just enough for Rose to catch a glimpse.

"What's that, Strider?" She folded her hands as he struggled to cover it back up. "A precious lovebite?"

"None of your business, Lalonde," he murmured. "But to answer your question, no, it is not." That wasn't a total lie; John was under the influence when he left it and so it wasn't exactly marked in love.

"Who gave you it?"

"It is not a 'lovebite'. Did I fucking stutter?" He motioned air quotes when he said 'lovebite.'

"Yes."

He sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose. "Look, it didn't even mean anything anyways, so kindly fuck off." Ugh, he was starting to sound like Karkat. But he was sick of his sister trying to pry into his love life. Er, well, not that it was anything worth being called a love life.

"You do realize that I can occasionally gain access to your thoughts, right?" She smirked. Dave glared at her, but he knew she was right. Since they were twins, they had that strange telepathic bond - yes, it turns out it actually does exist. (**Author's Note:** I have a sister and we're almost twins so we can sometimes hear each other's thoughts or say the same thing at the same time, hehe!)

"So?"

"So I know it was John." Damn, she was good.

"Look, he was drunk from that stupid party where they spiked the drinks, and it didn't mean a single thing at all. Why do you care anyways?" He was speaking in the lowest voice he could in which she could still hear him over the roaring voices of the other people in the cafeteria.

"I already answered that question a long time ago. And I would like to inform you that I'm afraid it very well could have meant something. Drunkenness often only makes people bolder about their feelings - it doesn't change them."

"Right." Not buying it, he gave her his middle finger and quickly hid it away when he saw John approaching. The other boy sat down by him and nudged him on the arm.

"What are you blushing about?" He asked, grinning derpily as usual. "Is there a girl?"

Ignoring Rose's devillish grin, Dave shoved him lightly. "None of your beeswax."

"So there is a girl!" John continued, slightly jealous but shoving it aside. "What's her name?"

"Her name's 'fuck-me-dave', and we have a hot date tonight." He was controlling his nervousness about Egbert catching him blushing again. He really needed to break that habit.

"Heehee, is it an imaginary girlfriend, Dave?" The other boy wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"No, there is no girlfriend."

"Oooh! Dave Strider, the coolest guy in school and sex god, doesn't have a girlfriend!" Dave stiffened at being called a sex god but remembered that John jokes about this stuff. It's a joke and he's said it before. Ever since the 'incident' after the party, Dave was getting all riled up about everything John said.

"Oh, but perhaps he does. Did you see the mark on his neck? Made by a lover, perhaps?" Rose cut in.

"Haha, I know, I've seen it already." He recieved a raised eyebrow from Rose but then he explained. "He told me it was Vriska's dog. It really likes to bite!"

Rose chuckled and started to open her mouth, and Dave immediately knew what she was doing. "A likely story. It's easy to tell that it was left by a human. No canine could have-"

She was cut off by Dave interrupting her himself. "Who are you, an expert on dogs?" He leered at her behind his shades.

"Aw Dave, it's okay, if you have a girlfriend you can just tell us! You don't have to be all embarrassed and secretive." John smiled up at him sweetly.

Dave softened at the boy he loved's smile, but still rolled his eyes. "I do not have a girlfriend, nor a boyfriend, nor a 'lover' as my sister here puts it. This bite was just left by Spiderbitch's dog, okay?"

Attempting and failing at stifling a laugh, John gave Dave a light slap on the arm. "That's not a nice nickname!"

"Well it's pretty accurate." Luckily, Rose was back to eating and the tension of the conversation died down.

Unfortunately, Vriska, who was sitting at a table nearby, had caught a glimpse of the bruise. Being the gossip queen at the school, she was quick to spread around the rumor, and it wasn't long before the entire school knew about Strider's hickey. But no one could determine who left it. Girls were even lying, claiming that they were the ones who did it, only to be completely ignored and rejected by Dave and thus proven wrong in front of their friends.

However, no one got too anxious about it. They figured it would be revealed soon when the school dance took place, which would be in a couple weeks.

To John's disgust, people still continued to flirt with Dave anyways. Egbert himself was starting to grow convinced that the mark was in fact left by a person, and he was damn set on figuring out who that person was.

"Seriously, Dave, I don't like you lying to me," was what he confessed in one of their conversations that week, at the end of the school day. "Why can't you just tell me who left it?"

"I told you already," Dave replied, still sticking to his dog backstory. Yet he knew John wasn't falling for that anymore, and he was overusing it. But he couldn't just switch it or else John would know he was lying. "Why do you care so much about it?"

"I don't, I mean, I do, but just because you're my best friend and if you have a girlfriend or boyfriend you should be able to tell me. Besides, Rose told me that no dog could have left that - it's too high up, it obviously has a human jaw, and it just so happens to be located on your neck? You're not fooling anybody." He was getting frustrated. Didn't Dave trust him? He asked him that.

To that, Dave stopped walking. "More like you're the one not trusting me," he deadpanned, but the harshness of his words still hit John with just as much strength. Slack-jawed, he turned to apologize or something to Dave, but he was already dashing off towards his apartment.

He shouldn't have said that, because John was right. Dave was lying, and he had every right not to trust him. He didn't like lying, especially not to his crush. But he wanted John to somehow understand that this wasn't something he could tell him.

He paused for a moment and looked back, considering running back and apologizing, but he saw Karkat speaking to John instead. While he still held his gruff manner, it was obvious he was hitting on him, and suddenly, before Dave's very eyes - well, shades - Vantas had pressed his lips against the other boy's, engaging in a full-on kiss. _No, no, no!_ Spinning back around on his heel, Dave fought the pain overwhelming him and the tears threatening to shed. Running swiftly, he failed and felt tears streaming down his cheeks, curling and flying off into the wind behind him. He wasn't supposed to be crying! He was the cool kid, cool kids don't cry! And over something so small, too! It was just a kiss! But he had seen John kissing back. He was sure of it. And the pain stabbed him strongly, as he hurled himself through the door of the apartment, slamming it shut and locking it.

Bro was not home, as usual. At this time, he was usually somewhere with Jake. _Figures_. But this was a good thing for Dave at the moment, so his jerk of a brother wouldn't see him sobbing like a weakling. Dashing up the stairs, he fell flat on his bed and bawled his eyes out, shaking and blubbering.

After a good ten minutes of this, he recomposed himself. _Get it together, Dave. You can't be weak like this. Stay strong, for John_. The very thought of John caused tears to form once again at the brim of his eyes, and he blinked them away quickly, sniffling and removing his shades, which were stained with cold hard evidence of his breakdown. Cleaning them on his shirt, he took in a deep breath, readjusting them on his face and approaching his computer.

Dave always liked to sing, even if he wasn't exactly the best. He swallowed some apple juice, washing the salty taste of his tears away. Grasping the microphone plugged into his computer with trembling hands, he pressed record. Scooping up his acoustic guitar, he started to play it and sing.

"_Heartbeat's fast,_

_Colors and promises,_

_How to be brave,_

_How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?_

_But watching you stand alone,_

_All of my doubt, suddenly goes away somehow._

_One step closer..._"

He felt silly. His brother would consider it a girly song about love, but it fit his situation so well and singing it made him almost feel okay again.

_"I have died every day waiting for you,_

_Darling, don't be afraid,_

_I have loved you for a thousand years,_

_I'll love you for a thousand more._"

When he finished the song and replayed it until he felt satisfied, he stored it away in a locked folder on his computer. "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri was a song that he loved to sing - it was accurate and it fit his voice well. Fortunately, after a check, he was relieved to find his brother wasn't home. Returning to his room after looking around for Dirk, he saw that John's shirt was still there. Shit, he'd forgot to return it. But he couldn't face him after what he saw...but he would eventually have to. Logging into Pesterchum, the application they used to chat with eachother, he decided to just get it over with.

**- turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering ectoBiologist [EB] at 16:52 -**

**TG: yo egbert**

**EB: hi dave!**

**TG: you missing a shirt**

**EB: huh?**

**EB: oh, haha, yeah! i think i left mine at your house...**

Dave pondered whether he should mention what he saw with Karkat. Deciding against it, he deleted his 'well come get it when youre done trading spit with vantas' and retyped.

**TG: you want me to bring it over**

**EB: well, i don't want you to have to go to that trouble! i guess i can come get it if it's not a bad time.**

Hell, it definitely was a bad time. His face was still slightly red from crying, and he felt like he could break down again at any moment, but at least nothing was strewn across the room like the last time he saw John Egbert kissing someone else. It wasn't the first time today, but it still hurt him all the same.

**TG: yeah its a horrible time i just up and fucked that imaginary girlfriend of mine sorry**

**EB: haha. tmi.**

**EB: really?**

**TG: hell no now get your ass over here before i drop your shirt out the window**

**TG: its dangling egbert**

**TG: its slipping**

**EB: hahaha! okay, and um...sorry about earlier. **

**EB: i shouldn't have been so mean.**

**TG: no man its all cool**

**TG: now hurry before your shirt gets a full-on buffet serving of sidewalk pigeon turd**

**EB: haha, ewww! anyways see you soon!**

**- ectoBiologist [EB] ceased pestering turntechGodhead [TG] at 16:57 -**

_Oh no. You should not have just done that_. _John would be on his way over and you could fall apart again right there, just at the sight of him. And why didn't he tell you about what went down with Karkat? Maybe he needs time_...

After changing into a shirt that wasn't tear-stained, Dave cleared his thoughts and sprawled out on the bed, listening for the doorbell. Glancing at the window, he noticed it was raining. Hard. At that moment, he heard the ringing of the doorbell. Scrambling to his feet, he rushed down the stairs and pulled open the door, returning to his false calm persona.

There was John, standing there soaking wet, without an umbrella, as the rain beat down on him. Tossing aside his cool kid facade, Dave quickly pulled him in, shutting the door behind him as fast as he could. "Dude, you could've gotten hypothermia or something!"

Fighting his chattering teeth, John rolled his eyes. "It's just a little rain, Dave, chill out."

Normally, Dave had no problem with rain. In fact, he purposely 'forgot' his umbrella often times so he could stand out and feel it pattering down. But it was incredibly strong today and as soon as he opened the door he had felt a rush of cold air, rendering John at risk of getting sick.

Besides, fall was rolling around and it would be getting colder daily. Using these to justify himself, Dave wrapped his arms around John and nuzzled his head on his shoulder, striking him by surprise. He sobbed lightly into the other boy's jacket, but he made sure not to make a sound - he just let tears slide down his cheeks. This wasn't about the rain anymore, it was about what he had seen with Karkat and John and the tears kept pouring out.

John, however, could not see Dave's face, nor could he feel the tears soaking up his jacket or hear the cries which were entirely muffled. All he knew was that Dave Strider, his best friend since forever, was hugging him and he didn't know what to do. Usually John was the one to do all the (bro)hugging, not Dave. He awkwardly placed his hands on his friend's back, returning the hug.

"Uh, man, you know I'm fine and it's just raining?" He managed to squeak, looking at Dave quizzically.

"Nn-nh.." Dave uttered a small grunting sound, obviously attempting to reply. After lifting a hand to wipe away his own tears off of both his face and his shades, he pulled away, avoiding John's eyes. "Sorry...I just..." He just what? Dave didn't know himself.

"Haha, it's okay." John suddenly remembered his reason for coming, not noticing the redness and puffiness of Dave's eyes since they were hidden behind the shades. "Uh, but, the shirt...?"

"Oh, yeah, let me go get it..."

He dashed up the stairs and grabbed it, then walked back down and held it out for his friend. "You shouldn't have come to get it today though, not when the weather's like this. I could've given it to you at school."

John accepted it, shrugging. "Well, too late for that I guess. Um, thanks for letting me get it though!" He gradually turned around to head towards the door when Dave stopped him.

"Oh no you don't," he chuckled, regaining his composure. "I'll drive you back. I am not letting you back out in that freezing cold-ass rain."

"Since when did you care about my wellbeing?"

Dave froze, then, faking casuality, replied, "you're my best bro, Egderp, do you really think I'm that heartless?"

"Heh, sorry." Giving in, John let Dave lead him to his car, and soon they were at the Egbert household.

"Here, I'll walk you to the door," Dave said protectively, pulling out his red umbrella. Ignoring John's protests, he opened it and held it over him and John.

When they reached the door, knocked on it, and it opened, Dave was met with a rather unpleasant surprise. There was Karkat Vantas, holding it open and scowling at him.

"What are you doing here?" they both chorused at the same time, glaring at eachother then glancing confusedly at John.

"Er, um, well," John stuttered, looking at his feet. "Uh, well I know you two've met before, obviously. But um, Dave offered to drive me home and..." He hesitated, then stared at Dave, an unreadable expression in his eyes. "Karkat's my new boyfriend."

The words shattered Dave's heart, and all he could do was stand there, expressionlessly, staring straight into those beautiful blue eyes of the boy he loved who was taken away from him with a kiss. _Shit, Dave, you need to control yourself. Numb the pain...control yourself_...

"Oh. That's nice to hear," he stunned them both by commenting emotionlessly.

"You mean you aren't bothered that I'm dating your, haha, um..enemy, sort of?"

Karkat snorted and Dave inwardly winced at the mention of them dating again. Somehow, he managed to maintain his neutral expression. "Not at all. Anyways, enjoy fucking each other." Leaving them both standing there shocked and blushing, he hopped down the steps and scurried into his car, slamming his foot on the pedal and driving away as fast as possible. _Don't feel sorry for yourself and don't break down. It's weak, you are not weak, don't be weak_.

When he reached home, he saw Bro's car parked in the driveway. Dave attempted sneaking inside so his brother wouldn't see the tears. He got upstairs and ran into his room, closing the door and fighting the oncoming hurt and anger. For a moment, he simply stood and stared at the wall, replaying John's words in his head. '_Karkat's my new boyfriend. I'm dating your, haha, um...enemy, sort of?_' Whatever shred of hope or faith he had left was gone. Completely and entirely losing his train of thought, he literally punched a hole in the wall he was staring at, before pulling out his bleeding fist and realizing what he just did. Dashing to his dresser, he grabbed some gauze and wrapped it around the hand. His knuckles were still bleeding, but the gauze luckily suppressed it.

Then the door was opening, and Bro stood there with his poker face intact. He obviously had heard the crumbling of the wall, staring at the hole. Dave prepared to be yelled at and scolded, but Bro only shook his head and backed out, leaving Dave to himself.

Feeling truly and utterly alone and hopeless, Dave sat on the bed, sobbing into his pillow relentlessly, at the same time mentally chiding himself for being a crybaby and a weakling.

* * *

**Author's Note:** omg soooo sorry for all the angst and stuff in this chapter! but dont worry this is a johndave fic so of course things will get better! and really soon things will start going right but i just have to work the plot up to it! also dave calm down my poor baby waip459ik GUYS IM SO SORRY FOR HURTING YOUR FEELS


	9. Chapter 8

Peeling himself out of bed, Dave groaned at the sharp pain tearing through his back that came from just about nowhere. He probably was flailing or something in his sleep and hit it on the wall. He'd had a nightmare that night and it wasn't exactly merciful.

Recalling the past day's events, he wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead before getting into the shower. He'd try to be strong, for John. If John was happy, then what did it matter anyways? As long as he was happy it would all be fine. Dave just wished that he could be the one who made him happy. But no, if it was Karkat, then that's okay. Just so John is happy.

When he arrived at the bus stop, he was greeted by John Egbert himself, all smiles and cuteness. "Hey, Dave!"

"Hey. I'm shocked Vantas isn't with you. I take it you two got your smooching on last night." He forced a cocky smirk, but it felt crooked and broken. Hell, his voice even cracked, but Egbert didn't seem to notice. He just blushed as usual at the mention of any romance.

"Haha, dude, no way," he countered, but the look on his face said otherwise. And Dave swore he could hear in his voice that it amounted to even more than that. Why else would Vantas be at his house?

"Whatever you say," was all he could croak in reply. It all felt so wrong to him, and his voice sounded disoriented. But he guessed it didn't appear that way or sound so from others' eyes, which was probably for the better.

After boarding the bus, John smiled apologetically as he sat down next to Karkat instead. Fighting the burning jealousy within, Dave nodded in understanding. Oh, he definitely understood. He understood it far too well for his own emotional state.

Before he knew it, Rose had slid into the seat, a look of sympathy on her face. She knew. Dave was positive that John had gone off and informed everyone. He only wished that he had been excitedly informing them about him, not about Karkat. Realizing he was being selfish, Dave forced a shrug at Rose and turned his gaze to the window.

"You wanna talk about it?" Rose asked, confirming that she had heard about it.

"Nah." He avoided the usual sibling playfulness by replying honestly. He felt her nod and leave the seat, sitting back down next to Harley.

He should have told John. He should have told him from the very beginning...about the hickey, about the drunken whispers, about his sober feelings for the boy. But it was too fucking late now.

Yet he supposed it could have been worse. They were only boyfriends, studies show the majority of couples break up, right? But it still hurt that after all this time John was in his fifitieth relationship and yet Dave had abstained from even considering desserting his feelings for his best bro. He felt like an idiot and yet he knew he couldn't stop loving him anyways and so it was no use to beat himself up for it.

But...Karkat? Why Karkat? What did he have that Dave did not? Maybe it was his boldness to kiss Egbert right on the spot. If only Dave had done that...but no, it wouldn't turn out the way it did for Vantas - their friendship would have been ruined. Resorting to just accepting the way things turned out, Dave went through the rest of the day without a damn given, probably failing all tests taken and ignoring all lectures given. He was, without doubt, a relentless pessimist.

He desperately wished he could muster up the courage to throw a punch at Vantas or something. But he couldn't and he wouldn't - as much as he hated the douche, he knew that technically he did nothing wrong.

At lunch, Dave felt out of place among Jade's cheerful presence and Rose's evaluating stare. John, of course, had gone to sit with Karkat. To put it simply, he felt like he was being replaced as John's #1 guy or whatever. It was a weird way to think about it, but it was true.

Rose had been trying to analyze his behavior all day, and it was beginning to get on his nerves. But he knew she was doing it because she cared about him and didn't want him to feel this way. However, she should've very well known that nothing she could do could change how he felt.

On the other hand, he had enough common sense to know that he shouldn't be feeling sorry for himself. And so he shoved the thoughts out of his mind and did his best to feel happy for John. After all, at least he'd finally admitted he was gay. Dave would definitely tease him about that later.

Honestly, he felt like an empty shell. He was there in every physical way but on the inside he was back in a world where things were different. John loved him in this world, and things were just as he wanted.

When the day ended, John surprised him by inviting him over later. Numbly nodding yes, he wondered if the other boy knew the mixed messages he was sending. He also wondered how he hadn't realized the obvious truth about his feelings for him. Wasn't it dreadfully obvious? Painstakingly absorbing the look of pure bliss on John's face, he realized something he wished he hadn't. Vantas truly made this boy happy. John Egbert had never seemed so happy in all his life and yet here it was, the widest smile he could make. As much as Dave lied to himself and said he was smiling because he said yes to coming over, he knew that was not the deal. However, it was better to be delusional than to face the brutal anguish of reality.

Recalling that one drunken night, his lips twitched upwards lightly, forming a barely visible, miniscule smile. It probably wasn't something to take pleasure in reminiscing upon, but it was the most affection he had ever received from John, and so he treasured it greatly, even if they were drunk.

It wasn't long before he was at John's door, knocking solemnly. His prayers were answered when the door was opened by not Karkat, but John. He felt compelled to fake a smile and he did so. Stepping in when invited, he did a quick inspection behind his shades to assure himself that Vantas was not there. He was not.

After some pointless exchanges, they sat down and played video games for awhile. Suddenly, John paused the video game and stood up awkwardly. "I'm going to go get us a snack or something." Dave could tell that something was wrong, yet he couldn't determine just what it was.

John returned with a bowl of popcorn, sitting down cross-legged and smiling weakly at Dave. Oh yes, something was definitely going on. But he didn't seem to be planning on telling him.

"Dude, there something you wanna tell me?" Dave questioned, trying not to seem paranoid or whatnot.

"Haha, um, I don't think so..." So much for straight out asking him.

"Is this about...the trust thing? Because if you want I can just tell you man." He decided it was now or never, and that he didn't want John to feel distrusted any longer. Besides, they were under the influence, so what did it matter anyways?

"Um, well, no...but could you please?" Shit. He'd said too much. Now he had to tell him.

"Okay, well uh," he was going to have to be blunt about it. He forced the words out of his mouth monotonously. "It was you."

"Excuse me?"

"You left the mark dude, when you were drunk. It's no big deal though, I totally get that you weren't in control of your actions."

John sat silently for a minute, then laughed lightly. "Is this a joke?"

"No."

"Oh. Er, well thanks for understanding." Darn. Deep down, Dave had been secretly hoping that John would say that yes it did mean something. But once again, he got his hopes up far too high.

"No problamo. Sorry about not tellin' you earlier, just didn't know how you would take it. I thought maybe you'd freak out or something what with not being homo or whatever. But obviously the cat just hopped like a kangaroo out of the bag." _Ugh, no, that was one of the stupidest things you've ever said. Incredibly stupid_.

"You're rambling again Dave, and how do cats even compare to kangaroos on any level?" Well, John was laughing. At least he found it funny.

"You wouldn't know it but Rose's cat is actually a kangaroo. Plus they both hop out of bags and shit, as if they had an actual reason to be in the bag in the first place. My guess is that some douche bag was catnapping and didn't tie the bag too tight." _Stop talking already! You sound even stupider by the second_. He was losing his usual cool and it was showing big time.

"Hilarious," John commented sarcastically, rolling his eyes but the big grin plastered on his face told Dave that he at least found it somewhat funny. Damn, what he would do to kiss that boy right then and there.

"Damn straight." And suddenly he was whispering, too close to the other boy for comfort. Egbert squirmed, wondering if it would be rude to back away. He had a boyfriend for Pete's sake! But he remembered the reason he started dating him in the first place... He was intimidated that if he said no Karkat would unleash his rage and no one would be safe. Plus he could lose him as a friend and he wouldn't want that!

Giggling awkwardly, John pushed Dave away playfully. "You weirdo!" Luckily he hadn't offended Dave, who smirked smugly in return.

Standing up, he nudged the popcorn bowl towards Dave. "I'm going to go get some butter," was his excuse.

When he returned, Dave was sitting on the couch, hands behind his head in relaxation. Fidgeting slightly, John sat down next to him, pouring the butter into the bowl and setting the empty cup previously filled with butter on the coffee table.

Dave reached in to grab some popcorn, and as cliche as it was, his hand touched John's. John froze, and Dave didn't move a muscle because he liked the tingly feeling and sense of electricity between them.

Before John knew what was happening, he felt salty, buttery lips flavored with popcorn pressed against his. Dave was kissing him.

* * *

**Author's Note:** ahahgajgabj sorry for taking so long to update! i've jsut been tied down with loads of schoolwork and stuff! but here yo ugo hopefully this chapter is good enough!


	10. Chapter 9

Wait, what? Taken aback, John was unable to determine whether he wanted to break the kiss or deepen it. Unsure of his feelings, he just let Dave kiss him, stunned. Was this just Dave being oddly ironic? Because if it was, it definitely was very unexpected; something told him that he wasn't, though.

Dave pulled away, looking away from John and murmuring 'sorry' repeatedly. He gathered up his stuff and started to walk towards the door, certain that their friendship was ruined. But he simply could not resist - didn't John had any idea how frustratingly kissable he was?

He was truly shocked when he felt John's hand on his shoulder, holding him back. "Wait," he barely whispered, staring up at the taller boy. "Wh...why did you kiss me?" His face was cherry red and Dave wondered how he didn't know.

Yet he knew that this was the wrong scenario, the wrong time and place to confess his years-long, undying feelings for him. He was taken. He was his best friend. It wouldn't work.

"No reason," he lied, gritting his teeth in a subconscious attempt to calm his nervousness. But it was too late, his voice wavered and for once, John noticed.

"Seriously, why? You know I have a boyfriend!" Okay, that stung. John was actually angry, and Dave was unsure what to say or do. He hadn't meant to do that, it sort of just happened. After a moment's silence, John cleared his throat, appearing to have calmed down much more. "Look, if you really want, we can just pretend that never happened..."

Dave weighed the options. _Risk losing your best friend who is also your crush, no, scratch that, the love of your life, or go on with your life holding in a deep dark secret?_ He decided the latter was better, for John's sake. "Sure." He walked out the door, moving his lips to say goodbye but no sound came out. As he climbed into his car, he saw John's worried but confused and slightly angered face watching him back out of the driveway and into the street.

_It was for the best. Things will go back to normal._ These were the things John was telling himself as he watched Dave go. Placing a hand against his tingling lips, he wondered what had prompted Dave to do what he did. He had never known that he felt that way, and it was never something that had been even an option in his head, had no proof that he felt that way, and so he had a hard time believing that Dave...liked him more than as a friend. They were best bros, and nothing more! Right?

When he climbed into bed that night, his lips still tasted like salt and butter, salty and sweet, and he had to admit to himself that that was the best he had been kissed in all his life, and yet he still didn't even respond. Because it was Dave! His best friend since childhood. They were practically brothers...were they? Or were they closer? What Dave had said about the hickey...was that true? It couldn't be, yet he knew Dave would never lie to him. And he trusted him heavily in return. But...they were drunk. Not thinking straight. Why didn't Dave tell him about it earlier?

Despite himself, he had felt a strange flutter in his stomach when their lips touched. He sort of...liked it? No, it was probably just teenage hormones or some shit controlling him for a minute. Yet he couldn't help but wish he had kissed back instead of just sat there like an idiot.

_No, what are these thoughts? Dave is your best friend, and you're dating Karkat_. However, every time the name Karkat made its way into his mind he felt slightly disgusted - not at Karkat, Karkat was an awesome guy, but as more than a friend? Ew. He didn't want to break his heart, but...

He knew what he had to do. Groaning, he slid out of bed with the knowledge that he wouldn't have gotten any sleep at this rate anyways - his mind was buzzing, fully awake - and so he opened Pesterchum on his computer.

**- ectoBiologist [EB] began pestering tentacleTherapist [TT] at 22:41 -**

**EB: hi rose!**

**TT: I don't intend to strike you as rude, but what could you possibly need at this hour?**

**EB: oh, uh...**

**EB: sorry! i can just wait until tomorrow if you want.**

**TT: No, it's perfectly fine, of course. I was knitting anyways, so you didn't awaken me from any slumber.**

**EB: oh, okay. **

**EB: good!**

**TT: ...**

**TT: I'm becoming a bit impatient, I'm afraid. I can easily tell when you have something to vent about or otherwise, so why not just let it out?**

**EB: ...**

**EB: ok, well..**

**EB: you know about me and karkat, right?**

**TT: Oh, yes, I recall you mentioning it one or two times.**

**EB: well..this is going to make me sound like a huge ass, but i feel like i don't really want to be dating him anymore.**

**EB: i mean, when it started out it seemed fun and exciting..and like, i was interested in him, you know?**

**EB: but now i don't feel anything. does this make me a bad person?**

**TT: Hm...**

**TT: Well, this certainly doesn't make you less of a person, and is quite normal, actually.**

**EB: it is?**

**TT: Absolutely.**

**TT: As a matter of fact, many people often deal with the trouble of diving in to a relationship because of the mere idea of it, without realizing that it's not due to sentimental feelings towards their new 'partner.' It's more of a subconscious matter, so they are often entirely oblivious to it taking place.**

**EB: okay..thanks!**

**EB: but uh..**

**TT: Yes?**

**EB: should i break up with him? if so, how? i can't hurt his feelings! he's my friend!**

**TT: First of all, you need to calm yourself.**

**TT: This isn't as difficult as you make it out to be.**

**TT: However, it is, in entirety, your business and yours alone, so I'm afraid this is your decision, John.**

**TT: I'm positive that whatever choice you make, it will be well thought out and carefully demonstrated.**

**EB: thanks. but, if i do decide to break up with him, will he be hurt?**

**TT: That is almost guaranteed, unfortunately. Despite how gently or rudely you hand it to them, if a relationship is cut off, the person on the receiving end is bound to be affected negatively, unless if the relationship was never authentic.**

**EB: i think i understand. well, thanks rose! just please don't tell anybody about this conversation. **

**TT: Will do! You're very welcome, and also please accept my gratitude towards you for coming to me in this situation.**

**- ectoBiologist [EB] ceased pestering tentacleTherapist [TT] at 22:59 -**

Sometimes John pitied Rose, considering people mostly spoke to her about their problems. However, he knew very well that she enjoyed it because it helped her in her own studies of the human mind and that she loved using her psychoanalytic abilities.

He was about to log out when he saw he had received a message from Dave.

**- turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering ectoBiologist [EB] at 23:00 -**

**TG: hey**

**TG: um**

**TG: so i know you probably wont answer me or shit**

**TG: but i just wanted to say sorry**

**TG: i guess**

**TG: wow i feel lame**

**TG: but**

**TG: i mean i think maybe i was just acting on impulse**

**TG: shit not that it was impulse to**

**TG: you know**

**TG: well uh**

**TG: hope we can still be bros**

**TG: and i just**

**TG: fuck**

**TG: how havent you blocked me yet**

**TG: whatever i guess im just trying to say sorry dude**

**TG: yeah**

John found himself smiling lightly at his friend's awkward rambling. Dave wasn't as cool as he made himself out to be. In fact, he was actually much of a dork. (In a good way!) He was only considered 'cool' at his school because it was just a reputation that built up around him since preschool. John and him, they'd been in the school for every year, and so when new people enrolled, they sort of just presumed that he was at the top of hierarchy. He just went with it.

Sighing to himself, John hurriedly typed out a reply.

**EB: i forgive you, dave. of course we'll always be best bros!**

**EB: now goodnight numbnuts!**

**TG: wait what**

**TG: no wait hold on**

**- ectoBiologist [EB] ceased pestering turntechGodhead [TG] at 23:03 -**

He knew that Dave wanted to continue apologizing, but he knew he himself really needed sleep and so did Dave! Besides, tomorrow was Wednesday! They'd be halfway through the week.

Soon after, in a mansion shrouded by trees, Rose was knitting when once again, she was interrupted by a ding from her computer.

It was Dave.

**- turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering tentacleTherapist [TT] at 23:05 -**

**TG: lalonde**

**TG: sis**

**TG: answer plz**

**TT: Oh. Hello, David.**

**TG: whatever**

**TG: anyways**

**TG: i just talked with john**

**TT: Interesting.**

**TG: not really**

**TG: i was basically apologizing to him like a blubbering idiot then he said he forgave me and logged out**

**TT: I see. Are you seeking assistance from me?**

**TG: well geez**

**TG: no offense but what else does anyone pester you for**

**TT: None taken. Also, I'll have you know, Kanaya and I have some very intriguing conversations.**

**TG: nty**

**TG: i dont wanna hear about your weird lesbian sexting sessions**

**TT: Very well.**

**TT: Anyways, would you mind taking a screenshot and sending it to me?**

**TT: Of the Pesterlog, that is.**

**TG: sure why not**

**- turntechGodhead [TG] sent tentacleTherapist [TT] an audio file: my_ 3 -**

**TG: wait**

**TG: shit**

**TG: dont open that i sent you the wrong file**

**TT: Of course I would not dare invade your precious privacy.**

**TG: im fucking warning you lalonde**

**TG: i will cut you**

**TT: Still not serious, I see.**

**TT: No need to worry, I will not open it.**

**TG: you better not**

**TG: dammit my laptops losing power**

**TG: i should sleep anyways**

**TG: later**

**- turntechGodhead [TG] ceased pestering tentacleTherapist [TT] at 23:10 -**

Dave could finally get some sleep. He was lucky that she hadn't opened that file - it was the secret file of him singing _A Thousand Years_. He would just die if anyone got their hands on it.

**- tentacleTherapist [TT] began pestering turntechGodhead [TG] at 23:11 -**

**TT: Lovely singing voice, by the way.**

**- tentacleTherapist [TT] ceased pestering turntechGodhead [TG] at 23:11 -**

Dammit, he knew he couldn't trust his prying sister! He started to type an angry 'fuck you' but decided against it, realizing he could barely hold his eyes open. Yawning, he shrugged off everything and let himself go to sleep at last.

* * *

**Author's Note: Haha wow, lots of Pesterchum in this chapter! Anyways sorry for the lack of updates, I've just been reeeeally busy lately. I'm so so sorry! Hope this makes up for it. btw, it was supposed to be like dot mp3 with the audio file but for some reason it wouldn't go through...D:! well, bye and enjoy! -Ollies outy- **


	11. Author's Note

Hi, this is just an author's note, I'm really sorry..

But I'm having writer's block, so I'm kind of slow with writing this.

But trust me, as soon as my writer's block goes away, I will hurry and finish the next chapter!


	12. Chapter 10

The week actually went by almost normally, though things still felt weird between John and Dave. By Friday, John had still not mustered up the courage to break up with Karkat, which was what he had decided on doing.

However, the next Friday would be the day of the prom. John would have to break up with him by then, or else that would be a hell of an awkward time. Yet as the week began, he never got around to it. It was Thursday when Rose consulted with him about it in the school library.

"How're things going with Karkat?" she asked, making it sound like a normal question about their relationship. The librarian sent her a sharp glare, so she reduced her voice to a low whisper. "Did you complete your task yet?"

"You're making it sound like this is a video game," John scoffed under his breath, rolling his eyes at her. "But no, not yet. I just don't know if I can do it..."

"Nonsense, of course you can," she answered, wanting to help him, and maybe also a brother of hers. "He'll surely get over it eventually, besides, is he not always flirted with by Terezi?"

"Oh, yeah, I never noticed that," John murmured, feeling a slight pang of jealousy but shoving it away - he was done with Karkat now. "Well, okay, but I'm still going to take as much time as I need."

"Very well, but as you know, the prom is tomorrow and you haven't much time if you want to avoid a disaster." Rose smiled sincerely at him, returning to reading her book. John focused his eyes on his, but he couldn't seem to focus. He couldn't get what to do about the Karkat situation out of his mind.

Deciding to replace it with other thoughts, his mind drifted over to what Dave had done last week. Why did he kiss him? Was it just for irony or something? It seemed weird that Dave would go that far for irony. He knew they'd promised each other they'd just forget about it, but he really wanted to know why. The thought of Dave...having feelings for him, just didn't make sense. Dave had always seemed fine and acted normal with every girlfriend John dated, and never showed signs of harboring romantic intentions. John was completely positive that Dave didn't feel that way about him. The very thought of it seemed insane.

John brushed it off as irony and/or crazy teenage hormones, even though deep down he knew otherwise. Finally focusing back on his own book, he let it all slip his mind.

Lunch finally came around, and John had convinced Karkat to let him sit with his friends this time. While eating, he still felt aware of his confusion over the kiss. Occasionally, he was sure he felt Dave's eyes on him, but he couldn't tell with those damn shades. Maybe he was being paranoid. But he tensed up when Dave's arm wrapped around him, apparently in an attempt to motion to Rose that John was doing just fine and wasn't out of it at all. At that, John piped up in reply with an, "Uh, yeah, perfectly fine!" The look Rose gave him said she knew otherwise.

After that conversation had resolved, John still felt Dave's arm on his shoulders, unsure what he should do about that. He continued eating silently, but was interrupted by a gruff voice near him. "What the fuck do you think you're doing, Strider?"

"Just eating lunch, Vantas," Dave smoothly replied, smirking. The rage was clear and defined on Karkat's face.

"Well you don't have to put your scrawny fucking arm around John, do you?" He was seething and John didn't know what to do. Now was definitely a bad time to break up with him, yep. "So why don't you so fucking kindly do us all a favor and remove it?"

Dave paused, faking a look of consideration before shrugging. "Nah, I think I'll keep it there." He even made an effort to rub John's shoulder, earning a blush from the boy.

"Strider, can I...can I talk to you in private, for a second?" It was obvious he was trying to contain his anger, but failing miserably at it.

"Sure, but try not to punch me too hard, Shouty," Dave replied sarcastically, standing up and removing his arm from around John, but not after he ruffled his hair. "Be right back."

When they were away from the others, Karkat crossed his arms and glared at Dave. "Look, I know you have a weird-as-fuck fetish for Egbert, but can you keep it under control? He's my idiot, not yours."

Struggling to maintain his collected nature, Dave grinned. "Sorry, no can do." Strolling back over to the lunch table, he left Karkat behind, boiling with fury.

"Uh, so, what was that all about?" John asked as he sat back down, not once again looping his arm around John's shoulders, to the black-haired boy's relief.

Dave shrugged once again. "Your boyfriend thinks I got a thing for you or some shit." So Karkat saw it too! Maybe John wasn't just being paranoid. He wanted to ask if Dave did after all, but it turned out Karkat was back.

"John, will you tell Strider to fuck off and stop flirting with you?" He hissed, staring daggers at Dave. John hesitated, unsure what to do, when he caught Rose's eye and knew what she was implying with that look there. _Break up with him, now_.

Taking a deep breath, John gave Karkat a small, sad smile. "I'm sorry, I can't." Dave nearly let a look of shock slip, but controlled it.

"What?" For a second Karkat looked confused, but he recollected himself.

"I just..." John let out a sigh, looking up at Karkat sadly. "I don't know if I want to be...dating you, I'm sorry..it's just, I like you better as a friend, a best friend! Really! But dating you just...isn't right to me.." He braced himself for a whole lot of shouting.

"Oh," was all he got in reply. What? He wondered if he heard that correctly. "I understand. I've been a huge fucking moron, I guess, but um..." Karkat's eyes wandered off around the room. Terezi. "I've been meaning to tell you that..I sort of was already dating Terezi, since just yesterday..I wanted to tell you! But I didn't know how. Fuck, sorry, I guess."

What. The. Fuck. Did he hear that right? Suddenly, John was kind of hurt. "You were cheating on me?! Then what the fuck was that about five minutes ago with Dave?"

I-it was an act." Karkat was acting wildly out of character, rubbing his arm meekly. Hell no, no way was John believing that.

"Fine! Well, just go to your fucking girlfriend and get away from me, you..cheater!" Okay, it was a lame insult, but it was meant to hurt just the same.

"But-"

"Go! I have nothing left to say to you." Dave was surprised at both John's courage and his sudden breaking up with him. He thought...John loved him? Or something. Whatever. As Karkat walked away, Dave felt compelled to comfort John, but didn't want to upset him or remind him of Vantas. Instead, he gave him an apologetic look. And then the bell rang, and lunch was over. John slumped away to class, his sadness clear in his features.

By the end of the day, Dave easily caught up to a sulking John. "John, dude, I'm sorry," he said, dropping the coolkid act. "You wanna come over later? I'm not hitting on you, I swear, I just want to cheer my best bro up." So part of that might have been a teeny little lie, but at least he was being more honest than usual.

"No thanks, Dave," John responded, frowning up at his friend. "I just think I need some time alone."

"Okay, that's cool, I get that," Dave nodded, resuming his cool composure. "But if you need some cheering up, I'm your man." He hesitated, considering giving his friend a hug or something, but decided that would be weird and instead walked away, leaving John as he wanted to be - alone.

That night, John was not on Pesterchum, and Dave tried not to get too worried, even though John always was on Pesterchum. It was most likely because he was sad about being cheated on, because holy shit that is a horrible experience, at least from what Dave could tell. He knew John like the back of his hand, and decided he wouldn't be mad for long if he just paid him a visit to comfort him. Getting into his car, he drove over, stopping at Blockbusters on the way to get one of John's favorite movies. He was going to cheer him up, dammit, even if by the tiniest bit.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Sorry about the looong wait! I just had writer's block and couldn't think of what to do with my story. But now I know! I hope this chapter makes up for it, and don't worry, fluff is coming trust me. I hope you aren't mad about the wait...unu


	13. Chapter 11

Raising his hand to knock on the door, Dave drew in a deep breath, hoping John wouldn't be mad at him. He was more confident on his way there, but now, standing in front of the door in the house which seemed to have all lights turned off, the confidence pretty much wore off. Knocking, he received no reply.

Hmm. Maybe John wasn't home. But where would he be? Going around to the garage, Dave peeked in through the side door window, expecting to see something, like a car, but then he realized that John can't drive yet and his dad is out on business leave or something. Releasing the breath he had been holding in an impatient sigh, he strolled back to the front door, contemplating whether he should go in or not. He knew John was fine with him simply barging in, as he had even given him a key - which he lost, but he wasn't going to tell John that. Shrugging, Dave opened the door, peering inside.

"Yo, John?" No answer.

Scrambling inside and shutting the door, Dave gradually walked through the house, looking around and occasionally surveying family portraits (he wasn't trying to be creepy!). Not seeing John anywhere, he decided he would do a quick check of upstairs and then head the fuck out of there - it was actually kind of frightening being alone in the house, or so it seemed so far. Climbing up the stairs, he rounded the corner at the top, heading straight for John's room. The door was shut. He hoped this wouldn't be like in those horror movies where everything inside of you is telling you not to open the door but you open it anyways and shit goes down.

Opening it, he was relieved to find that there was no monster behind the door - but he could see John's messy hair peeking out of the covers of the bed. Not even bothering to pretend he wasn't there, he grabbed the covers and tugged them off of him, recieving a grip on the other end - John was definitely awake and aware that he was there. Letting the blanket go, Dave allowed John to pull it back over his head.

"John."

Silence.

"John, seriously."

Still silence.

"John, why didn't you open the door. Why are you in bed." He stated them not even in the form of questions, just statements that John could answer if he felt like it. He obviously didn't.

"Answer me, Egbert."

Nope. Massaging the bridge of his nose with his fingers, he groaned, knowing he would have to do this the hard way.

"Fine, if you're not getting up, then I'm lying down." Ripping the covers from John's iron grip, he scooted in next to him, earning pushes and shoves against him, but it was no use. John wasn't strong enough to push him out, at least not in this state.

"Go away," John murmured, giving up on trying to get him out.

"Now that's not a way to treat your best friend, is it?"

"I said go away..."

"Nope. I am not going to leave this spot until we work this out." Folding his arms, Dave did just that.

"Ugh."

The two didn't say anything for awhile, and Dave wondered if John had fallen asleep. But he was proved wrong when John surprisingly cuddled up to him, so Dave wrapped an arm around his friend in return.

They still remained silent, until Dave felt hot tears against his chest. John was...crying? Shit.

"Dude, are you okay?" Okay, that was a stupid thing to ask. Of course he wasn't okay. But John didn't bother to get on his case about it - which meant he really wasn't okay.

"I can't believe he cheated on me, Dave," John said, nuzzling closer into the blonde's chest, which was getting pretty soaked with tears. "I-I mean, I was going to break up with him anyways, but, that someone would even cheat on me...I can't..."

"Shh, it's okay." Pulling him even closer, Dave rubbed his back comfortingly, trying to ignore the stupid hormones. _He's mourning, you idiot! Don't even think about your feelings and that shit at a time like this_.

"But it isn't," John choked out, sobbing a bit less quietly now. "I deserved it, for not breaking up with him earlier."

Now how did John get_ that_ out of this entire situation. How did not breaking up with him soon enough make him subject to this kind of treatment? But wait. John was already planning on breaking up with him? Why? Dave knew he couldn't ask that though; it wouldn't be thoughtful nor would it help at all. "John, you know you didn't deserve that shit, or any shit from him. He's just an asshole." Dave attempted to comfort him with this, obviously not very experienced at doing so. Hopefully John wouldn't get angry with him for insulting his ex.

"I..I know, but I didn't even like him in the f-first place." Okay. _What_?! Now he was just talking nonsense.

"Then why did you get together with him? Why are you so sad about this?" _Nope, that's cruel and stupid, Dave, stupid stupid stupid, but it's already out of your mouth so you can't take it back_.

"Because...because I didn't want him to get mad at me? Or something? A-and...I just...I guess the whole thing kind of backfired, when he cheated on me. It was sort of like he broke up with me first, and he was acting all this time and now I feel dumb and worthless and I just..."

"Stop, just, stop."

"Wha-"

"John, no one should have to go through being cheated on, especially not you. You're not dumb, you're not worthless, that's all bullshit that you're telling yourself because you're offended about being treated fucking wrongly." Woah. Where the fuck did that come from? Fuck, Dave _was_ talking to Rose too much. At least it was sincere.

"But-"

"No buts. You deserve somebody who won't cheat on you, who won't treat you and your friends like shit." _Like me. Wait, no, Dave, don't even be thinking like that, that's horrible and selfish as fuck. Just stop._ "Besides, I don't even think he was acting half the time, the guy's probably still head over heels for you, just has a lot of fucking problems."

Going completely quiet, John waited for his tears to dry up before speaking. "Wow, Dave. When did you learn to be so caring?" Oh fuck no. Not this.

"I'm not, I mean, I, anything for best bros, you know, plus Rose has been lecturing me way too much about shit and..."

"Wait, you've been talking to Rose? About what?" Fucking shit! How does John even figure this stuff out?!

"Well, she's my sister, I mean, come on man." Nope, he had already just lost his cool in front of the only person he tried to be cool for. Why must life hurt him in this way.

"Dude, you said she was lecturing you. That means you've got some kind of problem thing or something." Dammit, at least John was starting to obviously feel a little bit better.

"Nah, she lectures me all the time; it's never really about anything." He was lying, he hated to lie to John but he had to.

"Just tell me."

Knowing that John wouldn't let up, Dave decided to be somewhat distant about it. "Well, okay, um, so there's this person, I guess." _NOT COOL. NOT COOL. NOT COOL_. "And I sorta got a crush on 'em. There. That's it. It's nothing important." _NOT. FUCKING. COOL_.

"Why didn't you tell me? I could've helped you or something. Whatever, you have to tell me who it is now!" Shitshitshitshitshitshitshit shitshitshit.

"Um, well, it's a guy, if that's not weird..." He hoped John wasn't homophobic. As friends and only friends, they never talked about shit like that.

"No, that isn't weird! Gosh, just tell me, numbnuts." Welp, he had obviously entirely forgotten about Karkat, so that was a good thing. Probably the only good thing about that conversation, though.

"Man, no, you'd freak out." True. Very true. So true it hurt.

After a pause, John's eyes widened. "It's Karkat isn't it."

"Oh _hell_ no, gross don't even joke about that shit." At least that earned a laugh from the other boy, temporarily easing the tension.

"Okay. I guessed wrong. Now tell me already!" He was rolled over so he was lying on his stomach, but still facing Dave and still cuddled up against him, resting his head on his hands. He looked really cute tucked up under Dave's arm, and it took all Dave had not to squish him into a gigantic hug.

Placing the back of his hand to his head and feigning distress, Dave sighed dramatically. "Alas, it is a forbidden love and therefore irrelevant."

Seeing right past Dave's humor, John only caught one word. "Love?" Okay no shit damn fuck. Dave's brain was going through every cuss word in the book. "You're in love with them?"

"I was being dramatic, Sherlock."

"But you're not denying it."

"That was my denial right there."

"..."

"..."

"Okay just tell me."

How was it not painfully obvious to him right then and there? Here they were, cuddled up together abnormally close and he wasn't picking it up. Was John really going to make Dave say it? Dave didn't want to, at least not right now. It would seem like he was taking advantage of his susceptible state. Yet, it seemed like it was now or never...

"I can't." He couldn't.

"Why not?" John looked genuinely hurt.

"Dude, no, it's not that I don't trust you, I just - can we just change the subject? This is stupid.."

"No, I am not letting you get out of this that easy, Dave." Darn.

"Okay, look, I just, I can't get myself to tell you an actual name, okay? That just isn't...I can't." Lost his cool long ago, no need to try and avenge it.

"Alright. Weeelll...why not just tell me stuff about them and I can guess?"

"Fine.." They were boys though! Girls were supposed to have these conversations, right? God dammit. "Um..well, they wear glasses.."

"Dave."

"Uh, what?"

"There are a lot of guys who wear glasses. For example, your brother, ew by the way, Jake, also ew, Sollux, Equius, Eridan..." No no no no, gross.

"You didn't let me finish."

"Then finish."

"I um..well, they have blue eyes..maybe.."

"Narrows it to Equius and Eridan."

"No!"

"Then who?"

"Um, okay, shit, I guess you've kind of forced me to tell you this and so please don't get all weird from me saying it because you asked for it woah hold on what are you doing-"

Yes.

Hell yes.

Hell fucking yes.

John was kissing Dave, it wasn't Dave kissing John, no, it was John literally putting his lips against Dave's and it felt like the most beautiful thing in the world and it wasn't drunk and it was totally involuntary and he immediately began kissing back and hoped he didn't seem too eager it was just he was waiting for this for his entire life and then suddenly John just pulled away why did he pull away he's supposed to be keeping his lips there. "Wh-"

"Shit, fuck, sorry Dave, sorry..." He was apologizing. Ha.

"Why're you sorry?" Licking his lips, Dave raised an eyebrow at John, still trying to remain calm but he knew his face was red as an apple.

"I-I know you weren't talking about me and I didn't mean to be all weird there I sort of just acted on the spur of the moment-"

"Shut up and kiss me." Hell yes, Dave got to use one of the most cliche lines ever just like he always wanted. And then John nodded sheepishly but wouldn't move so Dave had to lean forward and pull his face closer, their lips reuniting the second time that day.

It was a real kiss; they both were putting effort into it and it wasn't one-sided like the first time. Not wanting to pass any boundaries, Dave broke the kiss shortly after and grinned nervously at the love of his life. He couldn't believe that that just fucking happened.

"God, you don't know how long I've wanted to do that," he found himself whispering, then quickly clamped his mouth shut realizing he said that aloud.

Instead of acting grossed out or horrified like he expected, John actually smiled and wrapped his arms around Dave's neck, taking him by surprise but he wasn't complaining. "Please don't hurt me like Karkat did." Damn, okay, it hurt that John thought that was even a possibility.

"I wouldn't, I would never, I fucking promise that if I had to either hurt you or die I'd be dead." Not the best reassurance.

"You'd hurt me if you died, though," John giggled, kissing Dave on the tip of his nose. Dave still couldn't believe this was happening, and he was still too taken aback to control the blush blooming on his face. Holding John closer, he shut his eyes and wished that if he was dreaming that he could never wake up. He'd never felt so sappy and joyful all at once and it was somewhat nauseating but for the most part, a high he'd never felt before. The scent of John tingling in his nose, it wasn't long before both he and John fell asleep together, content.

* * *

**Author's Note: **omfg sooo sorry for the long wait until this update! I was really busy with tough schoolwork and home troubles, so I hope you can forgive me. v.v I fluffed it up x10 for you so that it might be worth the wait! Shoot, I'm starting to notice a pattern in my chapters ending in sleep...oh well!


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